Lost in Mirrors
Spoiler-free synopsis Cynder does this and that Summary Shortly after the events of Nightshade's Struggle, Cynder begins thinking about her divided family, and wonders how different things could have been for her if Legion and Nightshade had never split up. The day after discussing this with Legion - who notes that he still loves her mother, despite everything she's done - Cynder joins Spyro and Ddraig in investigating the ruins of the Warfang Undercity, which Ddraig is considering restoring to deal with overcrowding issues. While exploring a stone cathedral within the city, Cynder and Spyro discover a room full of mirrors, and Spyro accidentally activates a portal which Cynder falls through. However, the portal becomes damaged in the process, and Spyro is unable to follow her. While the others attempt to find her, Cynder ultimately emerges from the portal in an alternate Sekeolath, which she finds is ruled by her parents with assistance from a benevolent Malefor. Having studied the portal that she came through, Malefor quickly realises that Cynder is from an alternative world to theirs, and tells her that in this timeline, she and Spyro worked as a team to take control of the world with assistance from Ddraig, who staged a coup to take control of Avalar, and who now rules over most of Europe with an iron fist; turning humans in the realms he rules into dragons via "Conversion Facilities". Back in Cynder's Avalar, two dragons arrive at the Dragon Temple; Patience "India" Dearsong, a mandrake - a dragon with a human father - who Nexus begins trying to court, and Blizzard, an old friend of Olivia's who begins trying to seduce her, and ultimately takes a photo of them together and releases it to the general public. Nexus promptly confronts Blizzard, and he reveals that he is being forced to do this by Discordium "Dis" Marshaw; the leader of an organised crime network who wants revenge on Ddraig's family for the death of his brother Potent, who was killed by Schakri. Before they can deal with this, Ddraig takes them all to Great Britain to attend the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. With the aid of an assassin named Taipan, Dis attempts to poison Eve during these festivities, but fails when Ddraig drinks the poison instead, and begins hallucinating - even having a vision of Aphid - before being subdued and taken to a hospital to recover. In the Mirror Avalar, Ddraig learns that Cynder has been seen in Sekeolath, and sends a small force to assault the Sekeolasian city of Kayne. Both Avalar and Sekeolath begin preparing for war; making alliances with American nations - the Confederate States of America and the People's Republic of Alaska - and eventually Avalar openly declares war by bombing a meeting of Sekeolasian nobles. As both states begin raising their forces, a large group of Avalarian rebels led by a heavily pregnant Eve and Nexus - including India, Dis, Potent, and Aphid - begin moving their own plans into action. At the same time, Malefor begins training Cynder in secret, as her only hope of getting home now is to fight her way to Warfang and use the portal in this world's Undercity. Back in Cynder's Avalar, Spyro manages to find a lead on how to fix the portal to get Cynder back - courtesy of Ignitus - and with the aid of the now-healed Ddraig, he goes to retreive a special crystal from a retired Avalarian soldier that Ddraig once knew, before heading on to Drakenholm so that Ddraig can give a speech. At the same time, Eve is confronted by her Dark self, who suggests that they merge into a single entity so that they can work together to take down the dragons who poisoned Ddraig and Sepa. Eve agrees, and promptly takes Olivia to Drakenholm with her, where they watch Ddraig's speech. In time, Eve spots Taipan amidst the crowd, and gives chase before battling him. Ddraig follows them and intervenes, and overpowers Taipan, who reveals his connection to Dis before dying. Ddraig promptly takes everyone back to Warfang, and attempts to keep Eve locked inside, but motivated by her Dark half, she breaks out, and rallies Olivia and Nexus in helping her to track down Dis, before heading after Blizzard, who they find has gone missing. Guessing that he may have been abducted by Dis' forces, the three follow a lead and investigate the Warfang Wharf. Inside a disused warehouse, they find Blizzard being tortured by Dis' men, who they quickly dispatch. Blizzard then leads them to Dis, who is eventually subdued after a brief battle and chase, which the Royal Guard intervenes in. In the Mirror World, Cynder's evil counterpart decides she has had enough of being Spyro's servant, and kills him when he forcibly mates with her, before assuming his title and declaring war on Avalar and all the states that lie between them. At the same time, Ddraig - getting more and more unstable - arranges for his forces to begin a new assault against their American allies, as he feels their trading with a rival state is a betrayal of their alliance. Led by Commander Ignitus, Avalarian troops begin attacking the east coast of the Confederate States of America, leading the CSA and Alaska to arrange a cease-fire until Avalar is dealt with. As fighting intensifies, Ddraig gives orders for a bioweapon to be created that can be used against the American forces, and also sends Elwynn; his second-in-command, to deal with Eve, who he has learned has arrived in Greywater City. Unknown to Ddraig, Elwynn is a double agent - and Eve's lover in this world - and upon arrival in Greywater City, he and Eve begin planning an assault against Warfang. As a part of this, Elwynn makes contact with one of Mirror Cynder's servants, and arranges for a truce between their forces until Avalar is dealt with. He agrees, but later Cynder contacts Elwynn directly and notes she will claim him as "payment" for the truce. At the same time, in Cynder's world, Spyro succeeds in repairing the portal, and he and Ddraig travel through to the Mirror World; finding themselves in the Warfang Undercity. In America, Commander Ignitus dies while fending off an American counter-attack, and Cyril is sent to take over from him. However, he fears that they will ultimately lose, and so flees to Alaska; taking critical information with him. Despite this, the weapon is completed, and it is launched against several key cities on the Eastern Coast of America; turning all human inhabitants into dragons - and allowing their oppressed draconic slaves to flee to Alaska. Meanwhile, both Legion's forces and Mirror Cynder's forces begin invading Europe; the latter causing widespread chaos and many deaths. At the same time, Cynder and Malefor sneak out of Sekeolath - as Legion had attempted to keep Cynder out of the fighting - and head for Warfang to meet with her world's Ddraig and Spyro, who they've learnt via reports from Elwynn are waiting there. They meet up with Eve's group north of Avalar, and find themselves face to face with the Mirror Cynder; who Elwynn ends up overpowering and killing, although losing an arm in the process. With Mirror Cynder dead, her armies collapse into feuding factions and retreat; sparing Europe from further violence. Following this, the rebels and Legion's forces convene on Warfang and begin an assault; aided by reinforcements from Cynder's world. In time, they manage to fight their way to Mirror Ddraig's Citadel, and succeed in overpowering and imprisoning him. Legion promptly takes over the administration of Avalar, and makes a deal with Eve granting her and Elwynn - and their egg a pension and new identities in return for abandoning her claim to the throne through Ddraig. After a week in the Mirror World, Ddraig, Spyro and Cynder prepare to return to their own world as the portal begins to fail, but before they go, Nightshade requests that Cynder seek out her counterpart and try to reach out to her. Upon return to her world, Cynder travels to Sekeolath; requesting a meeting with Nightshade. Nightshade accepts, and when Cynder talks with her, she admits that she does love her and Legion, but she cannot abandon Sekeolath because she knows Malefor would hunt her down. However, in an attempt to aid her and the others, she tells Cynder that Malefor is presently trying to unearth some powerful items in Indomalaya. Trivia __FORCETOC__